Moonlit Night
by ScarsOfTime
Summary: OneShot. A memory of the past, a meeting in the present, and the one she yearns for in her future. NaruHina


This is my first ever one shot and also my first Naruto fic, so I hope you guys like it. Any constructive criticism is accepted, and flames also if you provide a valid point. This is meant to be slightly (and I mean verrrry slightly) AU, and the characters might end up being slightly OOC, although I tried not to. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: As if I could own something as awesome as Naruto? Perhaps in my dreams...

Edit 12/8/2007: Corrected a few issues concerning the time between certain events, like how long Naruto had been away and the time between their past meeting and the present one. I had stated three years at the beginning, then went to saying two. Nothing major, it's been bugging me for a while now so I figured I should fix this before I confused any more poor souls. I dunno how I missed it when I went back to proofread this. Anyway, thanks a ton for the positive feedback. I'm glad people love this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Edit 8/9/2011: Just some formatting and a few minor touch-ups. Thank you again to those who reviewed and favorited this.

* * *

It had been three long, painful, lonely years since the boy she loved left Konoha on a training mission under the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. Since then she had slowly but surely prepared herself for the day that they would finally meet once again, and hopefully she would be able to finally admit that she was in love with him. Now, however, since that day had finally come, she had done nothing but hide away from him, her vocal cords utterly failing to listen to her and her body tensing up as she saw how much more handsome he had become. She had reverted to her old habit of mashing her fingers together, shoulders hunched, her pearly lavender eyes staring down at the floor and blushing brighter than she ever had before.

Yes, Hyuuga Hinata felt completely pathetic.

She had watched from the shadow of a tree as he greeted the entire rookie nine (with the exception of a certain Uchiha and, of course, her) along with Team Gai. He seemed to have matured slightly, as he wasn't as boisterous as she had expected, and she also grudgingly noticed how the females of the group seemed to blush and flirt with him. Although, she couldn't blame them. His face had become more chiseled yet had retained his boyish charm that she loved oh-so-much. She also took note that he was significantly taller than he had been when he left, seemingly reaching up to about six feet, and his muscular body, although not completely bulky, filled his clothing quite well. His hair had retained the same, spiky blond quality that she was familiar with, but the whisker marks on his cheeks seemed to stand out less. Then she noticed his eyes, those beautiful pools of sapphire that showed such joy, yet at the same time seemed to betray a slight hint of… Was that disappointment? He had a smile on his face that she easily identified as hiding his true feelings, although no doubt he was certainly happy to see his friends again.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered, blushing at how his name had suddenly left her lips. She seemed to be doing that a lot over the years. That had been earlier this morning. Now Hinata found herself lying on her bed, staring out of the window at the setting sun, thinking of the (almost) encounter.

"If only I could talk to him without falling apart. I'm so hopeless… Naruto-kun…"

She thought back to how devastated she was when he had left three years ago. He had not even said goodbye, as she was told that it was a last minute decision and they had no time to waste. She had promised herself that the next time she saw him, she would finally tell him how she felt regardless of whether or not he felt the same way, ever since that night in the park so long ago…

With that thought in mind, she bolted up from her bed and said, "I won't go back on my word! I have to tell him." Moments later she grabbed her jacket and her newly fortified courage and proceeded to Naruto's apartment.

It seemed to Hinata that with each step she took, the more her courage left her. She was now staring at Naruto's door, hesitantly thinking about whether she should knock or just go back home and hide under her covers. "_N-no! I have to…do this…"_ For the umpteenth time, she raised her hand, only this time she very lightly knocked on the door. Her fingers found themselves automatically mashing together again, as well as her body starting to tremble and her face growing warmer by the second, awaiting to see if he was home or not. Time seemed to stand still as she stood there, holding her breath unconsciously, until she heard the sound of a lock being undone and the turning of a knob, followed by the creaking of the door in front of her opening.

"Hinata-chan?"

Her eyes automatically darted downward as she heard his voice. It still sent shivers down her spine every time she heard it. Hesitantly she averted her gaze up to meet his, all the while blushing furiously. "I-I…ano…" She was doing it again! It seemed the Gods were still not kind as they perpetually mocked her and laughed. Naruto, however, just smiled at her genuinely and stepped aside, motioning her to come inside. Hinata's eyes widened at this action, causing her ever-reddening face to turn a shade never before seen in Konoha. She closed her eyes and forced her seemingly rooted feet to move forward slowly. Once she was inside she opened her eyes and gazed around the surprisingly small room. It was clean, albeit a bit dusty from years of disuse. "_I'm inside his apartment! I wasn't expecting this, what do I do?"_ The sound of the door snapping shut abruptly brought her from her thoughts and back into reality.

She watched as her crush made his way to a couch that was in front of them and sat down, motioning her to come to his side and join him. Her legs, however, refused to move at all anymore. Naruto just chuckled to himself slightly and said, "Alright, then I'll stand, too." He got up and moved to stand in front of her, apparently waiting for her to speak. He looked quite amused, his smile never leaving his face.

"Are you feeling okay? Your face is red and you're shaking," he said, face finally showing a concerned frown. He placed his hand gently to her forehead, which in turn made Hinata sway back and forth. She only managed to stutter, "I-I-I…" before her legs finally gave out on her. While she didn't faint like she had normally done whenever Naruto made contact with her, she found herself in his arms in mere seconds, her own clasping firmly around his neck as she stared up. It was then that they found their faces dangerously close to one another, both blushing, although Naruto not as severely as the young Hyuuga heiress. They stared into each others eyes, her vision filled with nothing but a sparkling blue, his with eyes as beautiful as the moon itself, if not more so. It seemed to end all too quickly for Hinata as she heard her stomach give a hungry lurch, follow by Naruto's giving its own famished protest.

"Hehe… I guess we both skipped dinner, ne?"

Hinata gave a small smile and nodded slightly in agreement. In all of her thinking about the boy in her arms, she completely forgot to eat anything since lunchtime. She was just wondering if she should (grudgingly) excuse herself and leave this for another time when she heard Naruto speak up. "Ano, it's still early. Would you like to go out and grab something to eat? My treat!"

Had Hinata heard him correctly? Was he actually asking _her_ out to dinner? Or maybe…a date? This was something she only thought happened in her dreams! "I w-would l-love to, N-Naruto-kun."

"Great! Just let me grab my jacket and we'll head out." That said, he released Hinata (much to her disappointment), turned to his coat rack by the door and slipped on his usual orange and black jacket, which Hinata thought suited him perfectly.

"Alright, let's go!" he shouted as he held the door open for his beautiful guest.

* * *

Dinner had been pleasant. On the way to Naruto's favorite stall, Ichiraku Ramen, he had told Hinata of his various journeys and mishaps during the past three years, not caring if he woke the entire village. Of course, Hinata didn't mind at all. She had always loved listening to his stories, especially when he exaggerated certain parts that involved his "heroics." Plus, it kept her from having to speak and make a complete and utter fool of herself. He continued to talk during the meal, save for the fact that she nearly choked on her noodles when he had said he had missed her the most while he was gone. This of course worried him, but after the coughing fit had passed and he was sure that she was okay, Naruto continued with his "Uzumaki Chronicles."

Now they found themselves standing just outside the stall, wondering what to do next.

"Ne, Hinata. Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked.

"Ano, umm, a-actually, I was w-wondering i-if…if…um…" She had thought of her promise to herself, and refused to give up easily.

Naruto just stared at her curiously, watching as she mashed her fingers in that adorable habit of hers, and how she had started blushing again. He could only describe her as cute when she got like this.

"Yes?"

"I-if you would…like to…walk around the park with me?"

It had been barely above a whisper, and he could barely make out what it was that she wanted. He only came up with a confused "Huh?"

"W-walk around the park…with m-me?" she said a bit louder this time, dreading his upcoming answer. She just knew that he would say 'no.'

"Sure!" he said with his usual toothy grin. Hinata's eyes widened at this in complete shock. She definitely wasn't expecting him to accept her offer, especially not this enthusiastically.

"R-really?" she asked, waiting for him to shout 'just kidding!'

"Of course, I'd like that a lot. Erm, I mean, uhh, it's still not that late and all…it couldn't hurt," he said scratching the back of his head. Was he blushing? She couldn't help but smile as he awkwardly started towards the park, placing both arms behind his head.

They walked side by side in silence, the only sound echoing from the insects chirping their nighttime melody. It was quite soothing, or rather it would have been if Hinata hadn't felt as if she'd explode of anxiousness and happiness. They remained silent as they rounded the large pond in the middle of the park, the light of the full moon reflecting off of the glassy surface portraying its natural beauty.

It was at this time that Hinata noticed the lone bench, just big enough for two, that sat at the ponds brink. She suddenly felt as if she were experiencing déjà vu. This is where she had first met…him. She stopped to look at the boy of her dreams, wondering what exactly was going through his mind at that moment and if he remembered that night all those years ago. Maybe she could jog his memory faster if they sat down? And that's exactly what she did. He mimicked her, and she could just feel the heat from his body radiating from him, making her blush at how close they sat.

Once again silence reigned supreme, neither of them speaking, both of them attempting it but suddenly thinking against it. So they just sat, and observed the full moon and the vast pond, both plagued by thoughts of the one next to them. Finally, it was Naruto who spoke first.

"Ne, Hinata?" he asked quietly.

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun?"

He sighed and scratched the back of his head, before reluctantly pressing on. "Do you remember how we first met?" He never met her gaze, only looked up at the sky as he awaited her answer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ten Years Earlier XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A five-year-old Hinata sat crying, knees up and her face buried in her arms, on the lonely park bench, thinking of how weak and pathetic her father thought she was. Earlier that night she had been forced to read through ancient family documents, only to knock over her candle and completely destroy them. Luckily the elders had been able to stop the fire from spreading, but the damage had been done, and as they were irreplaceable, she had faced the harsh shouting of her father. The look on his face was burned into her mind. It contained such loathing that she had convinced herself that he was right, she was weak and pathetic. She had run out of the house so upset that she hadn't even realized that she had made it into the park. That had been hours ago, but the tears would not still and her sobs continued to echo into the night.

However, someone placing something around her shoulders suddenly interrupted her. It was warm and felt so wonderful after such an ordeal. She hadn't even realized how cold she was. The young girl looked up with her tear-stained eyes to find a young, blond haired boy with brilliant blue eyes looking up at her, his hands leaving her shoulders. She noticed that his eyes, too, were crying, although it was silent. He sat down next to her and just stared up at the sky. Then she remembered who he was. It was that boy who had always been called a 'demon child' and tormented by the other villagers. Her father had told her on several occasions to stay away from him because he was dangerous. But now, as she looked at him, she knew that he and the rest of those who seemed to hate him were wrong. Those eyes, those eyes that showed such sorrow, were not the eyes of a monster. He had even been kind enough to comfort her, no matter how little the action was, despite obviously being tormented by his own problems.

Hinata sniffed and mumbled a quiet 'thank you' as she too looked up at the sky. Suddenly, she felt a finger just below her left eye wipe away the moisture of her despair ever so gently. She looked back at the boy confused as to why he would do such a thing for someone so insignificant. He responded to her look with words she would never forget for as long as she lived. "Its okay. Everything will be okay." She never knew such simple words from a boy who suffered just as much, if not more than her, could have such an impact. She just sat there and smiled, then abruptly jumped on him and squeezed as hard as she could, praying that this kind person would never leave her side. He hugged back just as tightly, his troubles finally overwhelming him as he let out a loud sob and cried into her shoulder.

* * *

Of course she remembered. After their moment together she remembered how a Hyuuga branch member found her in the boy's arms, how he forcefully broke both of them apart, and how her father had told her she was never to speak to that 'demon brat' again. Of course she had defended him, saying that he was never a monster and that he was the kindest person in the whole village. It was one of the only times she had ever stood up to that man.

"Hinata?"

Naruto's voice broke her train of thoughts as she realized that she had not given him an answer yet. She looked into his eyes again, those kind eyes that she loved so much.

"G-gomen. Of course I remember. I will never forget," she said quietly with a smile on her face.

Naruto didn't respond to her, only smiled back. Not the smile that he usually gave, but one that he had only showed to her and no one else, one that was small but showed pure joy. He shifted himself, removing his jacket and placing it over her shoulders, much like he did the last time that they shared a moment alone together. Hinata blushed at this, mumbling a quiet 'thank you' as he leaned back and stared skyward once more. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to tell him her feelings before it became too late. Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, she turned once again to gaze at his handsome face.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Hai, Hinata-chan?" he asked, his full attention on her.

"I-I…I…" It was then that she realized that she could never do it. She was so scared of what his reaction might be. Her poor heart could never take the pain and agony of his rejection. She didn't want to jeopardize their friendship, because after all, it would be best to have him as a friend than to never have him in her life at all. It was all too much for her, and the tears that she was trying so hard to hold back broke free of their restraint. She looked away and cried softly to herself, not daring to look into his eyes.

Then she felt a familiar sensation on her left cheek. It was gentle and soft and just so wonderful to her. Hesitantly, she looked back to the young man and saw that he had wiped her tears away in much the same fashion as when they were younger. He was looking into her beautiful pearl eyes and whispered so that only she and no one else could hear.

"Its okay. Everything will be okay."

He pulled his hand back after caressing her cheek slightly, marveling at just how soft her skin was. It was in those words that she finally found the strength to say to him what she had wanted to say since that one moonlit night.

"I love you, Naruto-kun." She never looked away from his eyes as she waited for him to respond to her. However, instead of a vocal response, he leaned in slowly and gently touched his lips to hers, before pulling back and whispering, "I love you too, Hinata-chan. Ever since that first moonlit night."

Her heart soared as this time it was her turn to lean in and give him a passionate kiss, allowing ten years worth of emotions to course through them. When it ended, they held each other as they looked toward the moon, noticing that it had never shined brighter.

_Finis_


End file.
